The city of Pendleton is planning to pay $1,200 every other week to a company in Massachusetts for the next six months to test city wastewater samples for COVID-19.
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With the Fourth of July holiday looming, it is often easy to forget just how close the whole American independence effort came to failure.
The COVID-19 virus outbreak put unexpected pressure on an array of state and federal agencies and in at least one case, the compression created leaks that sprouted into wide fissures.
A tip of the hat to companies that are being proactive and transparent in reporting cases of COVID-19 among employees.
Cattle ranchers in Oregon’s wolf country face a dilemma when a calf or cow turns up dead: Report it to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and time the response with a calendar, or ignor…
Gov. Kate Brown used an apt metaphor recently regarding the COVID-19 virus and what may be in store for the state over the next month.
We officially learned what many had suspected and privately feared would happen — no Pendleton Round-Up or Happy Canyon this year.
Act now. If you have been near any of the protests in Northeast Oregon or elsewhere, that’s one of the calls from the crowd.
A good opportunity to debate and seek solutions regarding the impact of Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions in Eastern Oregon was missed last week when top elected leaders from seven count…
A tip of the hat to the Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board for including $50 million for rural hospitals in its latest relief package for COVID-19.
What if Oregon’s Employment Department had a computer system that it didn’t have to fight to get people unemployment benefits? What if its system was flexible enough to adapt when changes are …
The news nowadays is often bad.
A tip of the hat to everyone who helped keep several protests representing a diverse range of viewpoints in Eastern Oregon peaceful.
Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon legislators are meeting behind your back. They are more interested in expediency than the public’s right to know.
More than 100 people gathered Saturday in downtown Hermiston for a “freedom rally,” an event billed to distribute information and showcase speakers who raised concerns about how current COVID-…
A tip of the hat to all the students graduating from local high schools over the next few weeks.
Oregon’s general fund budget may take a $2.7 billion hit in this current budget cycle. Oregon cannot legally have a budget deficit. How will the state cut that money?
Gov. Kate Brown said when she first took office that throughout her career she has “sought to promote transparency and trust in government, working to build confidence that our public dollars …
A tip of the hat to everyone participating in this past week’s election, whether as a voter or a candidate.
Oregonians trust politicians to make decisions about what taxes are collected, how taxes are spent and policies that shape lives. But should politicians be trusted with setting up voting districts?
There is a growing probability that Gov. Kate Brown will call a special session of the Oregon Legislature within the next few weeks to deal with expected budget shortfalls created by the COVID…
A tip of the hat to those willing to take social distancing guidelines seriously as Eastern Oregon businesses reopen and restaurants allow dining in once again.
Should people be stuck in jail because they can't afford bail? Some are aiming to change Oregon's system, so no payment would be required as a precondition to be released from jail.
Many counties across the state already turned in plans to the state for a phased reopening and we hope soon Umatilla County will be able to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 virus tunnel.
Every election season, the East Oregonian researches the issues and candidates as carefully as possible to determine the best choice to represent and lead our cities, county, state and nation.
Everyone who has died in Oregon from COVID-19 has had an underlying medical condition. So, it was vital that the Oregon Health Authority release the data showing what those conditions have been.
The online candidate forum sponsored by the EO Media Group is over, and we are all pleased it proved to be a success.
A tip of the hat to the newly-formed nonprofit Stepping Stones and the Hermiston City Council for their discussion Monday night of a proposed project to provide year-round emergency shelter fo…
Tuesday delivered sharp contrasts for residents of the county as local elected leaders handed over a plan to the governor to lift COVID-19 restrictions even as eight new local cases were announced.
The Legislature must clarify the Oregon governor's authority to issue emergency orders in a public health crisis.
No one with a clear-eyed perspective wants the state to lift its COVID-19 virus restrictions too soon, but it is past time to start seriously considering a limited reopening in some counties i…
As the world has been divided into essential and nonessential businesses, local newspapers providing credible information in this public health crisis fall firmly into the essential camp.
Oregon’s law that allowed nonunanimous juries to convict for felony charges besides murder was unjust and born, at least, in part of bigotry. It deserved to go.
Since newspapers began circulating in the 17th century, the stories that have appeared in them are often the first draft of history.
Oregon’s Criminal Justice Commission does important work to analyze and try to improve the state’s criminal justice system. And it’s actually not been following the state law for two years.
It looked like the White House and Democrats in Congress were closing in on a deal Sunday to restock the popular program to help small business.
A tip of the hat to parents, grandparents and guardians who are juggling work and helping their children with distance learning.
Oregon governors and legislators have allowed the state's computers for processing jobless claims to get so backward that it may cost Oregonians as much as $100 million in unemployment benefits.
Gov. Kate Brown did the right thing by tackling the looming question about when Oregon can discard its “Stay Home, Stay Safe” policy enacted more than a month ago in response to the COVID-19 p…
Gov. Kate Brown announced on March 18 that the state had a deal with a private laboratory to do 20,000 COVID-19 tests. In early days of the state’s pandemic response, it was a very reassuring …
The U.S. Postal Service is in trouble financially, and it may become one of the long-term causalities of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
A tip of the hat to those who are being good neighbors by socially distancing and being honest about their health.
‘Mandatory cattle identification” are three words that conjure up all sorts of reactions among ranchers. Whether and how the federal or state government can make a rancher tag a cow or calf is…
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners made a wise decision recently when they decided to move funds from its economic development grant fund to a new program to help local businesses hamm…
Education for children shouldn’t be another sacrifice made because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And all around Eastern Oregon parents and teachers are doing their best to ensure it doesn’t happen.
The COVID-19 virus outbreak changed a large swath of our daily routine here in Eastern Oregon and across the nation.
A tip of the hat to everyone who has already completed the 2020 U.S. Census.
Oregonians don’t need reminding how much worse slipping into a recession can be when they are loaded up with debt. It’s a bad combination we wouldn’t wish on anybody.
A big shout-out to Community Action Program of East Central Oregon, Carol Innes and Pendleton’s Marigold Hotel to help the city’s homeless population during the COVID-19 crisis.
Every day we get the latest on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. How many people tested positive, and how many have died. The number rolls higher and higher every day as our political leaders…
Norma Paulus would be proud. And she would be amazed. As secretary of state from 1977 until 1985, Paulus was the prime mover of Oregon’s voting by mail. Other states have been slow to follow O…
A tip of the hat to all the people who continue to step up and help their community in this time of need. While much of the news we are reporting seems grim, we have also had a steady stream o…
The list of grievances against the internet is a long and sometimes sordid one.
The news on Wednesday morning that the White House and Senate leaders reached a pact on a massive relief bill was good news and will hopefully set the stage for a brighter future for the entir…
Now is not the time for red tape. It’s not the time for people to be worried if their health plan will pay for testing and treatment. So Gov. Kate Brown and legislators are discussing some goo…